Blog Tour: We'll Always Have Paris by Sue Watson

Today's my stop on the Blog Tour for We'll Always Have Paris by Sue Watson, recently released by Sphere. Last week I interviewed Sue on the blog so if you missed it, have a look at it here. And now, my thoughts on the book:

When she was almost seventeen, Rosie Draper locked eyes with a charismatic student called Peter during their first week at art college, changing the course of her life forever. Now, on the cusp of sixty-five and recently widowed, Rosie is slowly coming to terms with a new future. And after a chance encounter with Peter, forty-seven years later, they both begin to wonder 'what if'...

Told with warmth, wit and humour, We'll Always Have Paris is a charming, moving and uplifting novel about two people; the choices they make, the lives they lead and the love they share.

Review: If you've read any of Sue Watson's previous books, you'll know how funny she is. In her stories, we usually have a forty something main character that finds herself in the most hilarious situations. Well, We'll Always Have Paris is slightly different to what she has us accustomed to. To start with, it is more serious. I mean, it stills has its funny moments but it is definitely deeper and more emotional. And secondly, the main character in this one is in her sixties. But you know what they say, the sixties is the new forties (or is it the new twenties?). Anyway don't expect a boring old lady, Rosie might be in her sixties but she still has so much to do and so much love to give!

Rosie was such a warm character, she felt so real while reading her story. I could feel how much she missed her late husband but at the same time how excited she was to start enjoying a fuller and more adventurous life. And I loved discovering more about her younger self, when she first met Peter. You could tell that that rebellious teenager with big dreams and aspirations was still there after all this time.

All in all, I found We'll Always Have Paris a very witty but also a bit bittersweet story. I enjoyed it immensely but there were a couple of things that I didn't like as much as I could have liked. First, the pace of the story was a bit too slow. There was a lot of reflection about how Rosie lived and how she wanted to live now and for many chapters I felt like the story didn't move forward. And then, I didn't like Rosie's older daughter. I think though that we are not supposed to like her all that much... I much preferred her daughters! But well, at the end I really liked the concept of the story and how it was executed and I especially liked getting to know Rosie and how determined she was to live her life as she wanted.

Rating: 4 stars

I would like to thank the publishers for sending me a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

About the author:

Sue Watson was a journalist on women's magazines and national newspapers before working in a career in TV where she was a producer with the BBC. She has published six novels, her most well-known being Love, Lies and Lemon Cake. Originally from Manchester, Sue now lives in the Midlands and writes full time.